Engineer accused of spying did not have ‘authorized access’ to classified information, ‘shocked’ employer says

Qing Quentin Huang, 53, is a Chinese-educated marine engineer who once lived in a Simon Fraser student dormitory so his math whiz son could attend university at age 16.

After immigrating to Port Alberni, B.C., from China via Singapore in about 2001, Mr. Huang worked in shipbuilding as his son, now in his late 20s, completed high school at an accelerated pace. An official at SFU was quoted at the time saying the school “bent the rules a bit” to allow the unusual living arrangement, after the University of British Columbia invited the prodigy to enrol, but refused Mr. Huang’s request to live with him.

That same summer, 2004, Mr. Huang was licensed as an engineer in Ontario, and soon after moved to Waterdown, Ont., taking a job as a structural design appraisal engineer at the nearby Burlington office of Lloyd’s Register Canada, which plays a key role in Canada’s national shipbuilding strategy.

Following a quick investigation, lasting mere days and culminating in his arrest on Saturday, Mr. Huang is charged with attempting to communicate sensitive information to a foreign entity, identified by the RCMP as China. Police would not comment on the suspected motive but a source said it was not necessarily financial and that Mr. Huang was unhappy at work, having been excluded from any role on the government shipbuilding project.

Mr. Huang received an engineering bachelor degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 1982, and a masters degree in marine hydrodynamics in 1985, according to Professional Engineers Ontario. He left and worked in the shipbuilding industry in Singapore before coming to Canada, where he is a citizen.

Bud Streeter, president of Lloyd’s Register Canada, declined to speak in great detail about his employee. “He is in a lot of trouble and it would be unfair to really say anything,” he said.

Mr. Streeter did confirm that Mr. Huang was immediately suspended without pay and, if he is ultimately convicted, will be fired. He has worked for the company continuously since 2006 as a structural design appraisal engineer, whose role is to ensure the design and construction of boats — everything from tugs to yachts and container ships — comply with the rules of Lloyd’s Register, as well as any further specifications requested by clients. His recent work would have included commercial projects like tugboats or small passenger ferries, Mr. Streeter said.

“He is part of a team, but he is not a team leader,” Mr. Streeter said. “His role was to review drawings and approve marine designs.”

Lloyd’s Register is a U.K.-based maritime classification society that offers risk management services for shipbuilding and other industries, evaluating both design and construction of large ships. Lloyd’s Register Canada is a subcontractor to Irving Shipbuilding under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy for the design appraisal of the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships, known as AOPS.

That is the only classified work the company is doing at the moment, and Mr. Huang was not involved.

Myself and our employees are frankly shocked

“Mr. Huang did not have security clearance and therefore was not involved in any approvals of AOPS. He did not have authorized access to information on AOPS or any other classified information,” Mr. Streeter said. “Because he did not have security clearance, he didn’t have any direct access to any classified or controlled information in Lloyd’s Register Canada Limited’s possession. And I say that very clearly: ‘Direct or authorized access.’”

Mr. Huang would, however, have had access to any uncontrolled drawing involved with Canada’s shipbuilding strategy, Mr. Streeter said, adding the company is co-operating with investigators.

Industry Canada lists a “Qing Huang” as a director of Smooth Sailing Naval Architecture Consulting Limited, a non-distributing corporation with 50 or fewer shareholders, incorporated in 2011, whose filings are up to date.

The address associated with that business is a house in Waterdown, Ont.

Neighbours said the man who lives there, named Quentin, has been there for more than six years, and is typically absent from his house for days at a time, such that neighbours sometimes cut his lawn or shovelled his walk.

“As far as I knew, he was never home,” said one neighbour. Another saw him the other day driving with a woman.

Susan White said there was once a woman living there with Mr. Huang, but there was “lots of fighting.”

There were also occasionally young boarders, thought to be students.

Another neighbour, Brian White, said that, in hindsight, it seemed suspicious a few months ago that an unmarked white cargo van driven by a man was parked for long periods in front of this house, and at other nearby locations, as if perhaps conducting surveillance.

“He keeps to himself, doesn’t talk to any neighbours,” said Mr. White. “Honestly the only time we see him is if he happens to be going to his car and leaving.”

He keeps to himself, doesn’t talk to any neighbours

RCMP Supt. Larry Tremblay would not comment on Mr. Huang’s motive.

“It would be unfair for me to speak to motive. I think that question is more to the defence side and to the accused himself. I’m in no position to comment on why he did what he did, considering it’s an illegal activity to begin with,” he said.

Ray Boisvert, a former senior Canadian Security Intelligence Service official, said the decision to betray can stem from financial challenges, mental breakdown, lifestyle, revenge or a warped sense of political loyalty.

“The pathology of why does somebody betray and take those kind of risks: lifestyle, financial challenges, mental breakdowns, a disgruntled person trying to get back, a warped sense of political loyalty…. Was he corrupted by somebody that led for him to volunteer something at one point down the road?” Mr. Boisvert said.

He added that, based on the information released so far, it does not appear the suspect was a trained spy.